News – Nigel Lacey (1942-2007)

Nigel Lacey (1942-2007)On 15 September a thanksgiving service was held at Stowmarket for the late Pastor Nigel Lacey, who went to be with his Lord on 14 August. It was led by Pastor Colin Grimwood (Grundisburgh) who preached on Philippians 1:21 – ‘To me to live is Christ and to die is gain’. This text summed up Nigel’s life.
Nigel was brought up by Christian parents in Potters Bar and came to faith in the Saviour at the age of 13 through a Billy Graham Crusade in London. He began his working career at British Telecom and soon after married Margaret, who was his loving companion for the next 41 years.
They settled in Ipswich and joined Whitton Baptist Church where they were taught the doctrines of grace. This transformed their lives.
In 1972 Nigel became honorary pastor at the Baptist church in Stonham, and five years later was invited as pastor to Bethesda Baptist Church, Stowmarket. He counted it a great privilege to be a preacher of God’s Word.
During this time Nigel became involved in the work of Grace Magazine and was its editor for several years. He was a prime mover in the building of the Pilgrim Homes complex at Great Finborough and set up the Suffolk Preachers’ Seminary.

Africa

In 1996 he was called to teach at the theological seminary in Nairobi, Kenya, and was later invited to be pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church in Zambia. His five years there were particularly precious and fruitful. God greatly blessed his ministry both in the local church and further afield through a weekly television broadcast of his sermons.
For health reasons he returned to England in late 2004. His work, however, was not over yet and after a period of recuperation he was called to the pastorate of Hope Baptist Chapel in East Ham. With his boundless energy it seemed that he might have strength to serve the Lord for many years to come, but the Lord had other (or rather, we should say, higher) plans.
Nigel was a man with real convictions – something of a rarity these days – and was a gifted and faithful preacher. His priority was always the local church, where he exercised strong leadership and loving pastoral care.
He was concerned that God’s people should be built on a strong foundation of truth and was eager to encourage them in zealous Christian service. He had a heart for gospel preaching and the training of preachers.
He will be greatly missed by many in Britain and Africa, but we especially commend Margaret and their two daughters, together with Hope Baptist Chapel, to the Lord’s all-sufficient grace.